You Zag, I'll Zig

Enter and enjoy.
Sinful abandon is permitted.— written on the menu at Ziggurat

In ancient times, a ziggurat was a rectangular stepped tower in ancient Mesopotamia, surmounted by a temple, believed to be a stairway that linked earth to heaven. In modern times, a Ziggurat is a fantastically unique eating experience in a very out of the way place in the bowels of Makati. I wouldn’t say it’s a hole-in-the-wall place, because its interiors and menu belie that.

Ziggurat interiors

Upon entering, you have to quickly orient yourself to the smallness of the space. Seating is on pillows laid around low tables, so eating is done cross-legged and barefoot. It’s best that you wear something comfortable, especially in terms of footwear. Save the mini skirt and knee-high lace-up boots for another place.

the “chairs” lie low. That’s Kaie studiously studying the menu

Ziggurat serves Indian, Mediterranean, African, and Mid-eastern cuisine. It seems like a culinary grab bag of sorts, but is actually a concordance of nuanced flavors. Everything here works well together. The menu is literally, the size of a newspaper (and is yours for only P35). Done in full color with some helpful photos, the menu narrates the restaurant’s background, describes its cuisine, and offers a detailed wine guide as well as a primer on matching food with wines.

Undoubtedly, the scope of the menu is enough to overwhelm anyone, even seasoned culinary adventurers. Remember that eating at Ziggurat is an adventure (it says so on the menu), so leave your food phobias at the door. The menu offers “recommendations for our undecided patrons” ”“ groups of six or more for the curious (P3000), the adventurer (P3600), and the explorer (P4800) ”“ consisting of various appetizers, pasta, two entrees, dessert, and a beverage.

hummus and Arabian Khobiz bread

Scan the menu and take your time to decide what you really feel like eating. There are numerous appetizers: hummus (P75); falafel (P90); Hilbeh (a spicy Yemeni dip ”“ P120); mixed olive platter (P180); taramasalata (classic Greek pureed smoked cod’s roe ”“ P180); and salsa Ziggurat (the restaurant’s signature dip ”“ P250), among others. All starters are served with your choice of Arabian Khobiz, a fluffy flatbread delectable when warm but hard when cold. You can also opt for the mezze forte (P650), eight appetizers good for three to five persons.

samosas

There are also soups to start off the meal, salads, and light snacks that include shawarma (beef, lamb, chicken, tuna, vegetarian -P120-P150); samosas (P50); and Ziggurat turnovers (P120), deep-fried pyramid-shaped dumplings filled with ground meat and vegetables. Consider the carnival of kebabs, roll your own souvlaki (Greek specialty of meats marinated in oil, lemon, juice, oregano, etc, before being skewered and grilled); Mediterranean specialties that include moussaka (P150), which I’ve been told is just super; and a cornucopia of curries, really just too many to list here, in all colors of the rainbow ”“ white, brown, green, orange, etc.

Ziggurat has an extensive wine list, over 30 varieties, so flit and flirt with pairing your food with wine. Also, if you’re into this sort of thing, puff on a hookah (or shisa) as a meal-ender. This ancient Middle-Eastern water pipe filled with sweetened tobacco flavor is said to be lower in nicotine than regular cigarettes because the tobacco used is grown in low nitrogen soil.

lamb curry with Iraqi saffron rice

Algerian grilled vegetable couscous

When I was at Ziggurat, I was hankering for something spicy, so I had the lamb curry (P380) and a serving of the Iraqi saffron rice (P90). I split the samosas and falafel with Kaie, my good friend and fellow food writer. On the day we were there, she was on an all-veggie kick, so she sprang for the Algerian grilled vegetable couscous (P250), which arrived on this mother of a plate. It was one mammoth serving that we two girls polished off.

On that weekday morning at 10, we had the entire restaurant to ourselves, with decidedly incongruous Pinoy rock music (Parokya ni Edgar et al.) streaming out of the speakers ”“ it seemed the security guard had appropriated the sound system for himself that day. We were cool with it ”“ we were too busy worshipping at the temple of good food.

Note: Ziggurat is a bit difficult to find if you’re unfamiliar with the back roads of Makati. Location map here.
Having said that, parking is terribly limited, so take public. It’ll save you the stress of maneuvering Makati’s perennially changing one-way streets and getting caught by some wily policeman.

I like this restaurant too…love the flavors, and we also had the vegetables on couscous which was great 🙂 Only problem is my boyfriend can’t indian sit (I speak the truth!)…he had to sit on a chair while the rest of us lazed on the cushions.

i’ve ordered their moussaka. my only complaint is that the serving was ridiculously small. it was a teeny, tiny slice with no sidings.. nothing. but then again, i’m a cheapstake. so maybe that’s the problem.

My sister and I tried it last night! We loved the place and the food! We had samosas, Indian Basmati Rice, Mixed Kebab Special and Arabian Khobiz. Haven’t noticed this place and I’ve been livingi n Makati for years! Thanks for this post! =D

I had dinner there last year with friends, and came out with some questionable insect bites on my ankles (those rugs probably need to be cleaned out after every meal). That area of Makati is a bit of a haven for Middle East food enthusiasts, with Husseins across the street and Jerusalem practically catty corner. However, the latter does have a rather seedy feel to it. The 2/F eating area was dingy to say the least.

I am really disappointed 🙁 After all the excitement, the food was not about the same expectation that I had. Our kebab was rock hard. The curry seemed to be lacking some spice ingredient that I can’t pinpoint. I know it’s unfair to compare real Indian food and Indian food in foreign land…but then….:(

I have been to many restaurants before and never have I experienced something like what Ziggurat Cuisine offered me. A gastronomic adventure thats really one of a kind.

Well, I first saw this restaurant featured on F! and got really curious about the place and the food. It was only a couple of days ago that I and five of my friends got the chance to go there and experience something unique. We ordered a heaping large platter of kebabs that we preferred to be served with some Khobiz instead of rice, a small platter of their curry special, Beyin (I believe this one is ox-brain sauteed in some olive oil), Hummus and some Baklavas.

Below are some of our observations:

– The restaurant is really hard to find specially when you are not familiar with the streets of Makati. It’s best to call them first and ask for some directions.– It’s hard to enjoy their food when wearing tight jeans because you have to sit down on pillows, cross-legged around some low tables. Well, there are also tables with chairs inside their resto but remember that we came there for the experience.– The Kebabs tastes good and cooked just right contrary to the last comment that they were rock hard.– The curries were ok. Cooked the way they should be.– I really love the Baklava! Really something to satisfy a sweet tooth.– Our dining experience was accompanied with some Indian and Arabian music thats really exhilirating and would make one do the “belly dance”.– I noticed some covered rooms upstairs. It’s like a quickie room of some sort for lovers if you want to make out or do something naughty after eating.– The place was clean enough. I haven’t notice anything crawling or flying inside the resto. Also, the comfort room is well maintained.

All in all, I’m giving this resto eight out of ten (8/10) spoons for the experience.

I love this place. The atmosphere is very relaxing and friendly and the place, neat and cozy. You get to sit down with your friends on some intricately designed cushions while enjoying some authentic treats and a puff or two of that flavored hookah. The price is ok considering the amount of servings they are offering unlike other indian restaurants around Makati. And besides, this restaurant was rated #1 by Yahoo Travel as the best restaurant in Makati. And I cannot agree less to that, I’m giving this resto a two thumbs up!

Ziggurat used to be my fave resto but when the real owner left… I never visited the place again… The former owner was really friendly and cool and take note, he personally cooks and prepares the food for you.. I heard he was the man behind the Al-Jazeerah fame… The middle eastern meditaranean resto along Mo. Igancia St before… hmm… wonder where he is now..